M. R. Štefánik Airport
M. R. Štefánik Airport
M. R. Štefánik Airport (IATA: BTS, ICAO: LZIB), also called Bratislava Airport, is the main international airport of Slovakia. It is located about 9 km (5+1?2 mi) northeast of the city center of Bratislava, spanning over the area of three municipalities (Bratislava-Ružinov, Bratislava-Vraku?a, and Ivanka pri Dunaji). Originally known as Bratislava-Ivanka Airport, shortly after the independence of Slovakia in 1993, it was renamed after General Milan Rastislav Štefánik (1880–1919), whose aircraft crashed near Bratislava in 1919. The airport is owned and run by Letisko M. R. Štefánika – Airport Bratislava, a.s. (BTS). As of September 2014, the company is fully owned by the Slovak Republic via the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development. Bratislava is a base for the Slovak Government Flying Service, as well as Ryanair, AirExplore, Smartwings Slovakia, Wizz Air, and Air Horizont during the summer season. During a brief period in 2011, the airport was also a secondary hub for Czech Airlines, and between 2004 and 2005, it was secondary hub for Austrian Airlines. Two maintenance companies, Austrian Technik Bratislava and East Air Company are also based at the airport. Air Livery has one painting bay for aircraft at the airport. The airport is category 4E for aircraft, and category 7 or 8 on request in terms of potential rescue.
Location
48.170°N, 17.213°E · 133 m s. n. m. (436 ft)
General data
Runways · 2
Lengths and surfaces from the public OurAirports register; open runways only.
Radio frequencies · 3
Tower
ATIS (automatic information)
Approach
Reference frequencies for enthusiasts, from OurAirports (community database, public domain), checked on Oct 16, 2026. They may be outdated or incomplete and do not replace the AIP or current charts: not for navigation. In Europe the published frequency may be an 8.33 kHz channel (e.g., 118.505 for 118.500). In MHz.
History
Early years
The first regular flight between Prague and Bratislava started in 1923, by the newly formed carrier Czechoslovak Airlines. At that time the airport for Bratislava was in Vajnory, about 3 km (2 mi) away from the current airport. That airport is now closed.
Preparation for the current airport started in 1947 and construction began in 1948. Two runways were constructed (04/22, 1,900 m (6,200 ft) and 13/31, 1,500 m (4,900 ft)) and the airport, known as Bratislava‑Ivanka, opened in 1951.
Development since the 1990s
In January 2019, the only domestic route of Slovakia between Bratislava and Košice, and the Prague–Bratislava route were axed by Czech Airlines.
Airlines operating here · 11
Other airlines with direct routes
Airlines with current passenger routes from here, according to Wikipedia route tables cross-checked from both ends (October 2026).
Photo: User Michaelis1888 on [1] · CC BY-SA 3.0 · view original
Data from OurAirports (public domain) · destinations and airlines from Wikipedia route tables (CC BY-SA, 2026), unless another source is given · profile and photo from Wikidata/Wikimedia Commons (CC0 / CC) · summary and history from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Cite
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This page was last updated on October 15, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). M. R. Štefánik Airport (BTS). Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/BTS
MLA
“M. R. Štefánik Airport (BTS).” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/airport/BTS. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “M. R. Štefánik Airport (BTS).” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/BTS.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) M. R. Štefánik Airport (BTS). Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/BTS (Accessed: 18 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_airport_bts,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{M. R. Štefánik Airport (BTS)}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-15},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/BTS},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/BTS}},
urldate = {2026-10-18},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/BTS |title=M. R. Štefánik Airport (BTS) |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-18 |language=en}}